The present invention relates to a detachable dumping apparatus for adaptation to a pickup truck.
Large dedicated dump trucks for transport and dumping of materials are known. Although dedicated dump trucks are efficient, they are prohibitively expensive for occasional use.
To provide a less expensive alternative to the purchase or lease of a dedicated dump truck, trucks may be retrofitted with a dumping container. Day, U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,357, discloses a flat-bottomed dumping container pivotally affixed to a T-shaped bracing structure, that is in turn attachable with bolts to a truck bed. A hydraulic ram is pivotally connected between the bracing structure and the underside of the dumping container, which upon extension inclines the dumping container to empty its contents. However, holes must be drilled into the truck bed to receive the bolts of the bracing structure, leaving visible holes when the bracing structure is detached from the truck bed. Furthermore, it is difficult work to align, tighten and loosen the bolts.
Panciocco, U.S. Pat. No. 3,471,045, discloses a flat-bottomed dumping container that slides on channels welded or bolted to the upright sides of a truck bed. To dump its contents, the container is rolled rearwardly and pivoted. After dumping, the container is returned to its initial position. Wright, U.S. Pat. No. 1,942,319, discloses a flat-bottomed dumping container that is pivotally attached to a pair of beams that are in turn attached to a supporting frame on a truck bed. One end of each arm is connected to rollers located on the beams, and the other end of each arm is attached to the flat-bottomed dumping container. A rotatable drum is connected by cable to the rollers. Rotating the drum pulls the rollers along the pair of beams to incline the dumping container about its pivot point to empty its contents. Panciocco's teaching of welding or bolting the channels to the walls of the truck bed and Wright's teaching of mounting the dumping container to a supporting frame, both result in dumping containers that are not readily detachable from the truck.
Therefore, what is needed is an easily attachable and detachable dumping apparatus that can be widely used with lighter duty trucks such as pickup trucks without modifications to the truck bed, and that is of a sufficiently universal design to permit its use on a wide variety of different trucks. These needs and others are met by the present invention, which is described in detail below.